Teaching the teachers

After a long period of planning, punctuated by frustrating episodes concerned with funding, we managed to hold our seminar for Primary and Secondary school teachers in our catchment aea. Everyone whom we invited came plus a few others. They were treated to several sessions on HIV: transmission, progress, prevention and treatment and prognosis, conducted by my excellent colleagues Oliva, Plasidia and Winifrida. Lamek, one of our Peer Educators, also gave a talk on Living with HIV. I was the organiser. (Although I was called upon to give advice at the condom session...)

Winifreda talking about prevention of mother to child transmission and the relevance of CD4counts (L), and Plasidia talking on the importance of prevention of transmission.

A moment of levity arose at the condom demonstration, as we couldnt find a suitable prosthesis...so Winifrida popped out to the banana plantation and picked one off a tree....only trouble being that it was a (very) small banana! Well, she said, it was better than nothing!! Much ribaldry, as the otherwise serious teachers fell about crying with laughter.

Oliva talking about stigma and testing, as well as gender issues (which are included in any seminar). Wini, Lamek, Oliva and Plasi after a good days work. (R)

It was a vey popular event, with extremely positive feedback, demanding more sessions such as this. There was a lot of interested participation and questions during the presentations which my colleagues handled brilliantly. The participants all had "chai and bites" as well as a good lunch and a per diem, see below. This is clearly an incentive. However, many had to walk to get to the Seminar, arising before sunrise to walk the 5 miles or so and faced a similar walk home, others had to pay for transport which is expensive here. That they all came was a good sign and we hope they will go back to spread what they learned at school, to their colleagues and friends and families. They were all given an excellent teaching aid complied by our VSO colleague, Jonathan Coolidge; a book giving good teaching ideas designed to be incorporated into the terms' teaching.

Childrens Day

Once a month we hold a day when we recall all HIV positive children (under 16) for their ART. It is a fun day but probably the saddest day of the month for us. The children, however, had a good cheerful day.

Our thanks to Hilary, who brought out the crayons and paper from UK...very timely and hugely popular. We are now making sure there will be a regular supply of drawing materials for them.

Sister Immaculata and Rupert admiring the artwork

A benchful of Trouble!

Godiliva, CTC nurse and Adventina, a Peer Educator pouring chai

Chai and smiles.They (and we) were so proud of their work.

By holding this event monthly, we hope that the children and mothers will get to know eachother and so give shared support in the future. As the children grow older, they will hopefully keep in touch and provide support for eachother. All the older children (over 9yrs) came to the clinic on their own, unaccompanied by an adult, some walking a couple of miles in bare feet, in the rain. And of course, they had to walk back. But the rain had stopped and they had a cup of hot sweet chai in their tums.